Acclaimed Canada-based Punjabi artist Karan Aujla is gearing up for an arena tour around Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, bringing his unique, award-winning blend of Punjabi folk and worldly contemporary music to some of the region’s biggest venues for the very first time since his debut in 2022. Aujla’s star has reached tremendous heights this year….
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He calls it “raging”. But there’s been a few words that have shaped this explosive performance style over the years. “Lit” “Turn Up” (or T.I’s twist, “Turn It”) “Crunk” Decades ago, a mosh pit at a hip hop concert would be a bit confusing to see. Even if Onyx was on stage shouting “Slam,” you…
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There has been a long and keen wait for JPEGMAFIA’s latest album. Currently, he is at his peak of popularity following 2023’s SCARING THE HOES a collab album with Danny Brown. Fans have known that this album was coming and each of its many delays have only intensified the desire to hear it. With each…
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In 2004 MF DOOM released Madvillainy and MM..FOOD, often cited as the two best albums of his career, in 238 days. For the years following up until DOOM’s death in late 2020, these two albums and the entirety of his discography have garnered consistent critical acclaim, frequently appearing in year and decade-end lists. Universally accepted…
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Adelaide-made and Gold Coast-based artist ALTERJOY (aka Ben Heidrich) has returned with his fresh new single and video “Better Make a Move”. Known as the drummer of Adelaide metalcore act The Daily Chase, Ben launched his solo project last year with his debut single “This is Real” and exuberant No Doubt cover “Hella Good”. The…
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T.I., Ashanti, T-Pain. The three headliners for Juicy Fest 2024, the second iteration of what is – I’m guessing – now the signature hip hop festival for Australia and New Zealand. Signature because all these other attempts at building a stable hip hop and R&B festival for Australia and New Zealand have largely fallen flat…
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Despite having a deep love for hip hop and R&B, I hate most “urban music” festivals that come to Australia. The only one that has really won me in the past decade was Soulfest 2014, which was co-headlined by Maxwell and D’Angelo with the likes of Angie Stone, Anthony Hamilton, and Common in tow. It…
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When Ms. Lauryn Hill was announced as the headliner for Gold Coast’s Promiseland festival in October, people were… confused. Nothing against the Gold Coast, of course, but such a big name coming to Australia to celebrate 25 years her seminal solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and just doing one show seemed a bit…
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Ice Cube’s reputation as one of the signature artists of hip hop and an architect of the culture is not up for debate. The famously barbed and politically-charged emcee played a significant part in solidifying hip-hop as a vehicle for sweeping cultural commentary, change and documentation throughout the 90s. Hence, an Ice Cube concert is…
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For the first time in just about a decade, Snoop Dogg has returned down under. The legendary Californian rapper has had a contentious relationship with the country over the years, but now that he’s back for his “I Wanna Thank Me” tour, Aussies are just clearly glad the doggfather has finally touched down. The last…
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Both NBA 2K23 and Universal Music Australia have recently announced a special partnership with various Australian Hip Hop artists, Chillinit, Sahxl and Barkaa. The collaboration titled Court in Session, will feature a selection of musical performances inspired by and set to many of the beats and sounds featured within NBA 2K23. This collaboration will form…
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It’s crazy sometimes to see how few people seem to share your interest in your favourite smaller artists, especially when you can’t get over just how brilliant they are. This is exactly how I feel about JPEGMAFIA, a.k.a Peggy. As one of my favourite artists, I can never seem to get enough of his music….
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Banging out to songs like “Corso” (Tyler, the Creator) and “Wiley Flow” (Stormzy) on your headphones late at night during lockdown was cool, but think about what it’s going to be like when all that pent-up energy is released in at a concert this year? Yeah, that’s right. Concerts are coming back in full-force, and…
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Auckland-based rapper JessB has been steadily rising in recent years, and the one ahead is looking to be busy and bright. The former professional netballer has already had quite an impressive career; with two EPs, a mixtape and a handful of singles under her belt, JessB also won Best New Zealand Act at the 2019…
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Christmas themed hip hop songs have been a part of hip hop culture since the early 80’s, and from The Treacherous Three and Kurtis Blow to Kanye West and Run the Jewels, there are actually some really good ones out there. To soundtrack your Christmas family get together we’ve gone through and counted down what…
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Straight from the first note, Kiwi-Aussie duo Gated Community swing hard with energetic rhymes, effortlessly cruising the bubbling, Hyphy-like production of their new song “Lay Low and Snitch”. This kind of explosive, irrepressible hip hop is a welcome break from the nihilistic ’emo rap’ that’s still flooding all corners of the internet, so we’re proud…
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It opens with Erykah Badu rhyming over a beatbox from Rahzel, and closes with Missy Elliot threatening to slap you right across your melon. We’ve put together a 100-deep playlist for this month’s Hip Hop and R&B Retrospective, celebrating women in rap by spotlighting some of our favourites from the 80’s (Roxanne Shante, Queen Latifah,…
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Melbourne-based Australian-Nigerian emcee IJALE has served up the first taste of his upcoming debut EP Wildly Disparate Sounds with the conceptually powerful, aesthetically smooth “Hotline”. More than just a song, the hip hop artist has expanded upon the idea of having a safe space for the Black community and other people of colour to vent…
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Perth emcee Sowdy is steadily building a reputation as one of the most versatile and exciting hip hop artists in the country. Just one listen to his latest single, “Love”, would tell you all you needed to know about the wildly creative rapper, drummer and vocalist, whose love for the art is endearingly obvious. His…
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The AU Review has always been about connecting readers with the best of arts, entertainment and culture. From music and books to travel and food, for more than a decade now the website has been dedicated entirely to discovery and re-discovery, celebrating the best experiences from around the world. To further that, we continue to…
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In a climate where addressing one’s own identity has never felt more important, independent Australian rapper and producer Dos Dos has released his first major single of 2020, “No Time”. An unfettered reflection of an artist’s struggle with identity and depression, “No Time” – over a subtle base and hip-hop-inclined beat – comments on the…
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There aren’t too many rising hip hop stars coming out of Arizona, but Phoenix artist Jaywop is set to wave the flag high for his city. Bubbling under the radar, the rapper turns in a single, “Big Bad”, touching on a hard-worker simply climbing his way to the top. And top is most definitely where…
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After twelve months of honing his craft and using his current base of Brisbane to test the waters on his new experimental sounds, New Zealand-born, self-produced rapper Dos Dos has signalled something of a career rebirthing with the release of his new single, “Some”. Raw, unfiltered lyrics – an ode to overcoming struggle – sit atop…
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After catching fire across the world with the “OMG” and “Final Form”, Sampa the Great prefaces new album The Return with yet another soul-stirring single in “Freedom”. The third clipping from this imminent project, Sampa syncs with a soulful backbeat, skipping across powerful vocal support to give us an R&B-flavoured ode to artistic expression. A…
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Top-tier emcee Common is gearing up to release a brand new album next month, and for the latest single he’s hooked up with a surprising collaborator. Offering the mighty “Hercules” as the follow-up to soulful cut “HER Love”, the Chicago emcee linked up with veteran producer Swizz Beatz who turns in a beastly drum pattern…
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Ahead of their forthcoming EP MIDN9T X, Sydney duo No Label Necessary – individually Creepah from Sydney and Thony Remy from Brooklyn – have gone straight for the clubs on new single “Like You”, a party-minded hip hop cut that seems destined to burn up radio both nationally and overseas. Slick and polished, the duo…
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2018 has been a very difficult year for ‘best of’ lists where hip hop and R&B is concerned. The often intertwined genres haven’t seen this much quality output for years, constant head-turning and critically acclaimed albums from artists both old and new have made the past 12 months the best in the scene since 2012….
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Anyone who has seen the almighty Wu-Tang Clan live before would be forgiven for being a bit cynical about their sold out four-show run at the Sydney Opera House. As far back as I can remember, all nine living members of the Wu have never been on an Australian stage together. The closest we got…
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After a standout guest spot on Spit Syndicate’s Orbit earlier this year, as well as string of excellent singles like “Concussed” and “Lighter”, Canberra based artist emcee/singer Turquoise Prince is closing out a big 2018 with a devastating right hook on “Eric Banas”. The recently released single and video is best considered a statement of…
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There are few figures in the industry as highly regarded and respected as Royce Da 5’9 when it comes to straight, no-bullshit, masterful hip hop. The Detroit emcee is often referred to as one of the greatest emcees alive, and that accolade hasn’t faded ever since Bad Meets Evil and Rock City were introduced over…
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